Giants’ Johnny Cueto to undergo Tommy John surgery Thursday

By Henry Schulman Updated 5:28 pm PDT, Wednesday, August 1, 2018 PHOENIX – The Giants on Wednesday announced the inevitable, that starting pitcher Johnny Cueto will undergo Tommy John elbow-reconstruction surgery in Los Angeles on Thursday. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the Dodgers’ orthopedist and one of the more renowned sports surgeons, will perform the operation at the Kerlan Jobe Clinic. Cueto will miss the rest of 2018 and most of 2019, at least. Recovery from the surgery to repair a torn ulnar-collateral ligament takes at least a year. Giants reliever Will Smith required 13 months. Cueto, 32, first went on the disabled list with a UCL tear in early May, when he and the organization decided they would try to rehabilitate the injury before attempting surgery. He was out for more than two months and was ineffective when he returned, allowing 16 runs in 21 innings over four starts. “There somewhat was an uphill climb when we got the diagnosis a couple or three months ago that he had some issues in the elbow,” general manager Bobby Evans said Tuesday. “I don’t think we were expecting a whole lot different result” from medical evaluations this week. Cueto started the 2018 season as one of the majors’ best pitchers, with a 0.84 ERA in five starts before he went on the disabled list. Photo: Ben Margot / Associated Press Image 1of/1 Caption Close Image 1 of 1 San Francisco Giants pitcher Johnny Cueto works against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning of… [Read full story]